1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a card loading apparatus for loading an information recording card, e.g., an optical card thereon. The card loading apparatus is used in a reader/writer which reads data from/writes data on the card.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recent developments in the information-related industry have been remarkable and the quantity of information which can be handled is ever increasing. Thus, an optical card has prospective use since it has a larger memory capacity and is more portable than any other information recording card.
A plurality of parallel tracks are formed on an optical card in the longitudinal direction of the optical card. Reading/writing of information from/on the optical card are performed by a reader/writer.
A card loading apparatus, i.e., a shuttle is provided in the reader/writer. A holding position is defined on the shuttle, and the optical card is positioned and held at the holding position. The shuttle is linearly reciprocal in a direction parallel to the tracks of the optical card.
An optical head is arranged in the reader/writer. The optical head has an objective lens and an actuator for driving the objective lens. The optical head is movable in a tracking direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the shuttle.
In this reader/writer, if the optical card is not accurately positioned on the holding position on the shuttle, the moving direction of the shuttle and the direction of the tracks of the optical card are deviated from each other to cause skew of the optical card. When the degree of skew is small, the skew can surely be corrected by the actuator described above. However, when the degree of skew is large, the above described actuator needs to be shifted by an additional actuator. These two actuators need separate servo mechanisms for appropriately controlling them. This leads to an increase in cost.
Therefore, it is necessary to position the optical card at the holding position on the shuttle accurately. For this purpose, the shuttle needs to provide a pressing means which presses the optical card in the widthwise direction of the card. The pressing means has a reference member and a press member. The reference member serves as a reference for positioning the optical card at the holding position and the press member presses the optical card against the reference member.
An optical card tends to bend as it is carried in a purse or pass holder. Hence, the shuttle needs a function of correcting the bend of the optical card. However, when the optical card is inserted in and/or discharged from the shuttle, the correction of the bend serves as a resistance to cause an increase in load to the motor or wear of the card. Therefore, the optical card must be capable of being released from the correction of the bend when required.
Published Unexamined Japanese Patent Application No. 1-304592 discloses a shuttle having a correcting function of this type and a press means for the widthwise direction described above. Although the optical card can be released from the correction of the bend, it cannot be released from the pressure of the press means. Accordingly, an insertion resistance of the optical card onto the shuttle and a discharge resistance of the optical card from the shuttle cannot be greatly decreased, and damage to the optical card cannot be completely eliminated. The press means for the widthwise direction of the optical card can degrade the flatness of the card on the shuttle.